Andre Butler studies for a class at the Nashville Software School. The school received 200 applications for 25 spots in its third class. / John Partipilo / The Tennessean

Written by

Jamie McGee

The Tennessean

As Nashville employers are clamoring for additional tech talent to fill positions, the local labor pool is taking note, as evidenced by the soaring application rate for the Nashville Software School in its second year.

The school stopped taking applications for its third class of students after receiving 200 for the 25 available spots, and that is without formal marketing efforts, according to school founder John Wark. Of those 200 applications, about 50 came from outside Middle Tennessee, with one from Hawaii and several coming from Silicon Valley. Twenty-seven students began the program this month having left backgrounds in sectors including marine biology, computational chemistry, accounting and music, to develop software skills and find work in the field that is desperate for more talent, Wark said.

The interest in gaining tech skills is driven in part by the demand for such talent among employers and the salaries and opportunities that follow. In the Middle Tennessee area, there were more than 800 tech-related positions open as of the first quarter, with 155 developer jobs advertised, according to the most recent Nashville Technology Council jobs report. The median salary for software developers was $90,530 in 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

“This is an area where there are jobs, but there are other factors at work,” Wark said. “It’s also the fact that it’s creative, it’s fun.”

Wark, a software programmer who has led several software startups, launched the six-month program last fall after seeing how the lack of adequate tech talent supply was limiting the capabilities of local businesses and startups, and thus, the local economy. Rather than focus on recruiting developers from other cities, Wark wanted to build the talent pipeline from within, and as a result, most of the students selected for the program already live in the area.

Max Beizer, who previously worked as a songwriter and waiter, was part of the program’s first class last year and landed a job as a junior developer at CentreSource after working as an apprentice there. He had discovered an interest in software through friends who were developers, and while growing frustrated with the music industry began teaching himself online before enrolling in the program.

“After I was chewed up and spit out by the Nashville music scene, I was looking for something different,” he said, adding that he was drawn to the creative aspect of software development that was in some ways similar to songwriting. “I love what I get to do everyday.”

The Nashville Software School is one of about 20 technology bootcamp programs nationwide that have launched in recent years to address the shortage of developer talent, many of which are for-profit programs. Despite the opportunity to capitalize on market demand, Wark said the nonprofit model allows him to more effectively recruit volunteers and offer a more affordable program to students. The school charges $1,000 for tuition, compared with as high as $20,000 at other for-profit programs, he said.

In addition to tuition revenue, the school gets paid when its partner companies hire graduates as entry-level developers, recouping the equivalent of 20 percent of the new hire’s starting salary, which has ranged from $40,000 to $53,000 for recent graduates. For students who decide to freelance or work for a company that doesn’t partner with the school, the school works out a payment plan with them.

While many companies advertise for a developer with three to five years of experience, companies need to focus on hiring trainees if they are indeed committed to growing a talent base in Nashville, Wark said. And, if companies limit themselves to more experienced workers, they will have a much harder time finding employees.

“If they aren’t hiring trainees, we are not going to fix this problem,” he said.

Eliza Brock, a Nashville Software School instructor, hired two students in December as contract employees for her software company after training them at the school. Seeing positive results, she hired two more graduates in July.

“They have an appreciation for how little they actually know, and they are willing to work harder because they are not resting on their laurels,” she said. “Because they are career switchers and the way they entered the field, they are a lot more eager and out there learning new stuff.”

Evan Owens, CentreSource CEO, has hired two graduates as full-time staff members, plus two full-time apprentices on a monthlong trial who graduated from the program, seeing his partnership with the software school as part of his long-term hiring plan that allows him to avoid more expensive recruiting. While there is a transition period as the junior developers adjust to the demands of the job, there are cost savings.